Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency tasked with preventing the transport of unauthorized items across the country’s borders, has been conducting more seizures of illegally imported eggs and egg-related goods than of fentanyl, the drug President Donald Trump frequently cites when enacting his draconian anti-immigration policies.
There were 134 fentanyl seizures by CBP agents in January and February — a rate that’s nearly 32 percent lower than the number of seizures that occurred in the same two months in 2024. Meanwhile, there were 3,254 seizures of eggs and egg-related products in those two months, more than double what was seen a year ago.
The data undermines the rationale for Trump’s trade wars against Mexico and Canada, where he has imposed or threatened to impose tariffs purportedly based on their inadequate restrictions on drugs flowing into the U.S. (Notably, U.S. citizens smuggle drugs, including fentanyl, at far higher rates than noncitizens entrants to the country.)
The illegal importation of eggs into the U.S. also showcases how Trump has failed to act on lowering consumer costs. His administration has tried to spin those numbers, as eggs have become synonymous with the president’s promise on the campaign trail to lower consumer prices in general. But while the White House is claiming that costs have gone down since Trump took office, that number reflects lower wholesale prices — the prices that distributors pay to farmers or other middlemen. Consumer costs remain extraordinarily high, likely due to grocery stores deciding to keep prices up (and even increasing them, in some cases) to regain losses in profits over prior weeks.
Despite claiming that there have been improvements, the administration has failed to state how, exactly, Trump has lowered the cost of eggs — and cost adjustments that are being seen are more likely a natural correction than any reaction to Trump’s presidential initiatives.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly promised that, once elected, he would immediately lower consumer costs. “Groceries, cars, everything. We’re going to get the prices down,” Trump said in the fall.
But after he won the election, he changed his tune considerably, admitting in December that “it’s hard to bring things down once [prices are] up.”
Indeed, the administration has offered very little in terms of solutions for consumers, particularly when it comes to eggs, with Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins recently suggesting that Americans buy chickens to deal with the issue and Trump himself sharing a social media post telling people to “shut up” about egg prices.
Polling data over the past several weeks shows that Trump has been losing ground with Americans on the issue of the economy, an issue the president has typically polled well on. A recent NBC News poll, for example, shows that 54 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue, with 55 percent also disapproving of his handling of inflation.
25 Years of Truthout: An important fundraising appeal
This September, Truthout is celebrating 25 years of publication. For over two decades, we have been a trusted source for fiercely independent journalism thanks to readers like you.
As we look to the next 25 years, we have launched a special fundraising campaign. Looking to a sustainable future for our publication, we have a fundraising goal of $100,000 in the next 9 days.
We are asking for your support at this juncture because we face greater threats than ever before in our organizational history. Trump and his MAGA allies are determined to control the information ecosystem, and movement-based organizations are subject to dangerous censorship and scrutiny.
If you can support Truthout with a one-time or monthly donation, you will make a significant impact on our work and our legacy. Anything you can do makes a difference!